Wednesday, 28 December 2011

Well, that settles it. Whoever's running the country, it's certainly not David Cameron.

The Prime Minister has ordered officials to develop a scheme in England to stop the sale of alcohol at below 40p to 50p a unit in shops and supermarkets.

Ministers could copy Scottish proposals, which would ban the sale of alcohol below 45p a unit, or bring in a more sophisticated system of taxes based on the number of alcohol units contained in the drink.

A Whitehall source said: “The Prime Minister has decided that when it comes to alcohol, something pretty radical now has to be done and he is keen on the minimum price. It is complicated how this can be delivered, particularly under European law, but it is clear that the voluntary approach has not worked.”

You'd have to have been living under a rock not to have spotted those two public health lobby sound bites, but I've highlighted them anyway. I'm sure we'll see many more in the new year too if this policy is pursued, Cameron has quite obviously fallen under the spell of the Department of Health pocket watch. Well, it's the only workable explanation for the curious anomaly described by Cranmer.

So a professing Conservative free-marketeer in coalition with a professing Liberal proponent of equality seek to adopt a Socialist mechanism to interfere with market prices which will disproportionately hit the poorest in society.

Indeed.

After months of correctly pointing out that the policy is sinister, illegal, won't do as intended, and just plain daft, now it's miraculously the best thing since air-brushed foreheads.

Here we have yet another example of how the civil service have utterly owned Cameron's government since the 2010 election. Remember this from April last year?

Mike Penning, the shadow health minister, told the National Federation of Retail Newsagents: "I am not a lawyer but I have always been concerned whether the Government's legislation on this is legal. Therefore a challenge by way of a Judicial Review seems a sensible thing to do."

Mr Pelling said the Conservatives, if elected, would bring the matter back before Parliament.

Ministers were accused of betraying British shopkeepers today by pressing ahead with a ban on tobacco displays.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley announced that laws brought in by Labour, forcing cigarettes and other products under the counter, would be delayed but not scrapped.

Sir Humphrey et al have done a right old number on spineless Dave and the equally lily-livered sock puppets he governs with, haven't they?

No point in going through all that election palaver anymore - if you crave power, simply get a job in Whitehall and have your own pet politician dance around on the end of a broom handle, it would seem.

Our esteemed mascot is, as always, on the button with his summation of Cameron's latest vacant-headed toss.

Philip Davies, another Conservative backbencher, said the proposal was "the most ludicrous thing the Government has ever suggested".

"I believe in the free market and I don't believe in the nanny state," he said. "If anybody thinks this is going to stop binge drinking they need their head examined".

New Year's Eve is particularly miserable because it's when we celebrate the end of one miserable year and the beginning of another one. Don't be fooled. Next year is going to be just as shitty as this one, if not shittier.

My wife and I are tired of all this bullshit. We are seriously considering leaving the UK nanny state for someplace, any place, where civil liberties matter, where we are not taxed to death and people aren't trying to shame us into feeling guilty for making adult choices.

Don't leave Jay, we need everyone we can muster to fight these treacherous off-spawn of unmarried parents.What's UKIP's position on this, anyone know?They are becoming more and more attractive the more we see revealed by this lot.

forget Australia. That's where I'm from, and it might be a case of having seen the erosion ab initio, whereas Britain was not quite as free when I was there, but it is terrifying.

DP,this is simply testing the temperature of the bathwater. Absurd! says everyone. But no longer unthinkable, and thanks to that festering Labour boil to the North and the other to the West getting on their knees to this concept, we are assured of following.

All you need is a little patience. Do not underestimate the stupidity of those around you.

Point noted, but those bastards are armed, and we just don't have the numbers to fight them... far too many people want to be told what to do and how to live their lives. Why would anyone risk their life if they've got a working telly (and/or PC) to tell them how to think? The revolution will have to wait... but hey, if it kicks off in the next few months, count me in!

Twenty, we've long ago discounted Oz and NZ as viable choices (and this is just frightening: http://tinyurl.com/d8tkelv). We had a great time in Sydney 7 years ago, and Australia is one of the most beautiful countries I've ever been to, but its politicians are absolutely insane and evil.

Freedom and Liberty were neverguarded by words whether on paperor on monitorsThe various bloggers ,campaigns,forums and assorted protestors will have to destroy their differences,devote all their attention to attractingand motivating support from every quarter.Cast aside those who refuse to unite ,those who idle away all liberties with endless chatter. State the cause and amplify it to all who will listen.

The Red Rose FewGive them a focal point,give them a simple task to do,give them somewhere to gather ,to meet to share,to see who is who and who is missing.Publish ,print,circulate real words on real paper,aggravate and agitate,upset and embarrass,insult and ridicule.Let us once and for all find out who the Hell is IN and who the Hell is OUTStarters Who will meet at a Midland venue,Easter to set out acourse,to see who means business,and find out who wish to carry onweb warbling,to see who wears boots and who wears slippers.Simple question ?ARE YOU IN IT ORARE YOU OUT

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. - Abreham Lincoln

I hope all their interventions, nudges, bullying and denormalisations work better than they hope. I hope the whole country turns to black and grey markets with the subsequent loss of revenue. Including tens of thousands of job losses, loss of income tax, NI, business closures, no corporation tax etc and massive increase in welfare claims.

The current system can not be saved, it has to die and it,s lifeblood is money. Bleed it dry.

The PM is doing this for one reason, he wants money. He wants a massive hike in the tax.I know he has only proposed a minimum price, but he knows that is illegal according to EU regulations we are already signed up to. So this announcement is just window dressing. Ahead of a revelation on the lines of "Those EU tyrants won't let me introduce the pricing legislation, so I am forced to do it through a top-up tax instead".The toerag isn't stupid you know...